Hold a Crystal
by Kyndsie
Summary: "Once burned, twice shy," but when Sarah sees another crystal, what will she do? What can it mean? JarethxSarah. Not actually angsty, but that category applies better than the other options.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: If it's a character, scene, idea, setting, etc, from the Labyrinth, it's (c) Henson, Lucas, Froud, etc, and NOT MINE.**

**_A/N: Parts of this story have been circling around for WEEKS, and finally demanded to be let out to play, so I started writing. Because of course it makes sense to start another multi-chapter fic when you've already got a couple going, and one more that is on the back burner._**

Anyway, please comment, give feedback, let me know what you think (and of any typos you find)!

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At first, she lived in dread of coming across one, and so she was jumpy, paranoid, and prone to drop fragile, breakable, and precious objects. Except for her brother. Him, she always held closer, tighter, with a defiant lift of her chin to announce to Whoever Dared that THEY would NEVER succeed in taking him away from her; that she had kicked over the kingdom of a more powerful (and more (attractive) charismatic) Being than THEY could ever imagine; that she had the patent-pending World's most Painful Pepper Spray concealed in her not visible hand; and so THEY had best leave while she allowed it.

Fortunately, Sarah became less jumpy after several weeks. If the unease returned while she babysat alone during a stormy evening, no one need be the wiser.

And then, three months later, there it was.

_It's just a crystal_

Somehow, it gave the impression that it was simply rolling along, minding its own business, even though it was giving a grand impression of a paperweight, there next to her Dad's briefcase. On top of a stack of junk mail and order-in fliers. Karen was in the room when Sarah first noticed it. In fact, her stepmother commented on it: "Huh. What an unusual thing! I don't remember having this before. Sarah, here, take a look at this –"

Sarah lunged out, and grabbed it before Karen could touch it, certain that she had just saved Karen from a very strange adventure. Mumbling something about thinking that it was rolling off the edge, and wanting to catch it before it broke all over the floor, Sarah gave a half-smile, and escaped to her room, Karen shaking her head in what might have been fond exasperation.

After attaining the calm of her own private sanctuary, Sarah made sure that the door was firmly closed (Toby could push open doors that were only _mostly_ shut these days, and was getting pretty good at doorknobs.) before sitting at her vanity.

Having by now taken a couple of slow, deep breaths, she looked at the crystal, in the crystal, through the crystal, and saw –

_A crystal, nothing more_

"That's strange. A crystal just appears, and _I_ snatch it up, and make sure to examine it _alone…_" Sarah swallowed quickly, expecting to already be materializing somewhere in the Goblin Kingdom.

Nope. She was still there, in her room, pondering a sphere of solid glass. Frankly, she wondered if she looked kind of silly, and was glad that there was probably no hidden camera crew staking out her home.

She didn't notice the owl in the tree outside her window. But then, she never had.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: If it's a scene, character, idea, setting, etc, from the Labyrinth it's (c) Henson, Lucas, Froud, etc. I do not own any of that.**

A/N: Yes, it's posted soon after the first one. No, it isn't full of action. Yes, there's mention of many of our faves from the movie. No, there's no J-S fluff yet. Yes, she's pensive. No, there's no visible angst. (Did I miss anything?) I wasn't going to post this yet, but life, etc, is about to swoop down, and swallow nearly a week, so here it is.

If you give me lots of comments & feedback, that will encourage me in writing and posting again soon!

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From that point, Sarah became gradually less surprised to have new crystals appear in her life.

At first, they came every two or three months. Then every 6 to 8 weeks. By the time she had many of them, she had gotten used to incorporating them in her Christmas decorations, and started wondering whether or not they'd do for around-the-year décor.

She never broke, sold, tossed out, or gave any away. Once or twice, Toby might have gotten his hands on one. Strangely, though, none were ever missing, and sometimes Toby ended up with a new rubber (or plastic) toy ball. Sarah learned to smile and divert the subject whenever Dad or Karen wondered about it.

By the time Sarah was nearly done with her degree, commuting to the local branch of the big name public university, she had become so accustomed to handling them that she never thought about them anymore, and the memory that they used to trip over no longer jangled in recognition.

Or so her friends wondered.

More than once, Hoggle offered (and also tried to _do_ without Sarah's notice) to remove them from Sarah's room and get rid of them. But the crystals never let him touch them.

Sir Didymus was relieved when Sarah stopped worrying over them, but worried when they ceased to seem special to her.

Ludo, as serene as ever as long as Sarah was safe, and he was out of the smell range of the Bog, probably had the closest sense of how Sarah was handling it: acceptance that something had yet to occur.

What the owl saw and knew from a treetop vantage point was that every few days, Sarah would retrieve a crystal. Not just _any_ crystal, but a specific one. Somehow, she knew which one arrived when in her life. Generally, she would hold the very first one, with one or two others from various days, curl up on her bed, or the window seat, or lean against something, and gaze through those erstwhile wishes.

The sighs that never quite escaped her still reached her observer, and he continued to mark time.

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_A/N, the sequel: Confession time - I already have the next couple of chapters figured out, and so, dear readers, I wouldn't mind a little bribery to encourage me to post them. And by bribery, I mean reviews! Feedback over the next few days means a new chapter by early / mid- next week. :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: If it's a character, scene, idea, setting, dialog, etc, from the Labyrinth, it's (c) Henson, Lucas, Froud, etc, and NOT MINE. If it's an OC, it's mine. If it's disbelief, it's yours, but possibly prompted by my absurd use of characters not my own.**

**stay tuned at the end of the chapter for the A/N.**

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Three days after she graduated, two after she received several offers of employment, an invitation to dinner, **and** an offer of marriage, Sarah moved out of her childhood home.

In her final semester of undergraduate study, Sarah had applied for positions in any company that had simply anything to do with telling stories, whether it was traditional book publishing, magazines, films, or electronic distribution. If there were stories, Sarah had figured out how to contact the firm. She managed to land one-on-one interviews with department heads and Senior Vice Presidents, and impressed them all with her level-headedness, but also with her grasp of what made for a good story.

This kept her so busy running in and out of the house that her parents never quite realized how many more crystals she had gathered during those last months.

Because many of the people in different parts of the story-telling industry had to be visionaries, Sarah did occasionally get a glimpse, a hint of a taste that perhaps _here_ was someone else who had had an Encounter. She quickly learned not to expect nor even to try to make direct eye contact with those individuals. It happened once, despite both their efforts, and several agencies are still at a loss to explain how a baker's dozen of chickens ended up on the 6th floor of a 3-story building. Sarah giggled all the way home that day, relieved when she finally found the two new crystals lurking in her bag, and one more in her car.

The night before her graduation, once she was home from a friends-only party, Sarah sat in her room, knowing it would be for almost the last time.

As she sat in the gathering dim, lounging on the window seat and choosing only to have her weakest lamp burning, she held that very first crystal.

She held it in both hands, finally understanding.

Raising it to eye level, and resting her forehead on the cool surface, Sarah looked into the wish, the dream. _His wish._

All of those years, her trepidation in handling those formerly threatening objects taught her care while diminishing her fear. Possibly those dreams-not-hers spoke to her own dreams, or the objectivity of time and distance filled in the gaps, but Sarah now suspected what she could not have seen, and wouldn't have been ready to face: _Jareth's dreams_

Not noticing that the owl was suddenly not outside her window, Sarah gazed through the dreams, suddenly looking directly into those ancient, mis-matched eyes. She hadn't left her room, and he had not left his throne, but their foreheads touched, and she held his face in her two hands. Not daring to break eye contact, and having no desire to do so, she continued to look, and to see, and also to hope that her breathing wouldn't become too much of a distraction, as Jareth had begun to move his hands. They had started out, harmlessly, at his side, and then lightly went round her waist. When she felt them moving in, bringing her slightly closer, Sarah shook her head slightly.

Cocking one eyebrow, "Precious Sarah, I'm pleased to have you finally return one of my calls."

Laughing suddenly, joyfully, at the expected arrogance in the Goblin King's voice, "In all honesty, it did take me a fair bit of time to realize that these were messages left on my answering machine."

Still not breaking contact, "My dearest girl, you've been stock-piling. If you had even _halfway_ uttered the word 'wish,' you'd have had half the Powers on your doorstep, vying to fulfill it!"

A wry smile considered the implications, and the many many wishes that she'd had and never let herself quite admit, except in her dreams. Having realized that Jareth could and sometimes did join her during that exercise of the subconscious, she finally shrugged, "What was I supposed to do – dump some of the old ones at a recycling center?"

His laugh, after a moment's stunned silence, nearly broke their eye contact. "Sarah-love, I have a request to make of you. Invite me to your graduation."

"Of course. I've already arranged to have a ticket waiting for you. 10 am, and don't be late!" Stroking his cheeks with her thumbs, she leaned in to kiss his forehead as their eye contact finally broke. As she pulled away, she knew that she had been returned to her room, and he to his.

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_A/N: Confession - Yup this chapter has been essentially complete since I wrote the first two. Not trusting myself to write large chunks in a single sitting, I let it alone. Now it's your turn._

_And... I nearly ended the chapter after Jareth's first line of dialog. Ignoring all of your fan tendencies, from a story-telling perspective, would that have been better? (with a full chapter dealing with their conversation... it wouldn't necessarily have made their chat much longer, but __**possibly** __had had more background description)_

Please comment, provide feedback, and HELP ME FIND TYPOS!


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: If it's a character, setting, idea, scene, etc, from the Labyrinth, it's (c) Henson, Lucas, Froud, etc, and NOT MINE.**  
**If it's too cute to be believed, the idea is mine, but the fault is sleep deprivation.**

Stay tuned for the A/N after.

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Despite having only received five tickets for her family and friends to watch her graduate, the group there to clap for Sarah numbered more than a dozen. The chickens were denied entrance, else that number would have been higher. The large, hairy, orangish friend stood by the door, but somehow everybody else fit onto the bleacher seats, although not in the same section.

Representatives from the various story-telling entities who hoped to hire the soon-to-be-grad congregated on one side, with the contingent from Underground on the other, and family members in the middle. Hearing Sarah's triple major, _summa cum laude_, and 4.0 GPA announced, the cheer that arose from all around somehow wasn't deafening, just loud.

The second best present that Sarah received was from Jareth, who made sure that none of the attendees that came with him interacted in any memorable way with anybody at all, except for Toby. The best graduation present was from eight-year-old Toby himself, who hugged her, and announced to whoever cared to listen that "this is my sister, who tells the bestest stories, and I'm proud of her and really really love her."

Even the Goblin King got a little teary-eyed.

That evening, having received congratulations all afternoon at the reception, Sarah welcomed the quiet of her room. Having treated herself to a relaxing bubble bath, she was now cuddled up in comfy pajamas on her window seat. She held another crystal, the one that was waiting for her that evening.

Holding a sphere of smooth, cool glass and the face of a man who has always fascinated you isn't that difficult, until you try to understand how it actually works. Fortunately, Sarah skipped that step, and was already well past acceptance.

Jareth had already adjusted his seated posture so that he could more easily hold his lady.

Knowing that this was borrowed time, they rested their foreheads against each other, and let their met eyes hold conversation; Sarah was completely exhausted from all she had accomplished, and Jareth's strength was a little sapped from having kept so many goblins in check for so long.

After either two hours or thirty minutes, Jareth noticed a pair of drooping eyelids that were not his own. "Sarah-love, you must go back. I don't know what would happen if either of us fell asleep in this state. We might possibly get stuck forever in the crystal, and I have other plans."

In agreement, she sighed. "Jareth, If only you could come, too. I'd really like to cuddle onto your shoulder for a little bit."

Glad that this was the Champion of the Labyrinth, Jareth knew that such a wish was easily granted, but "Say your right words, and you can have your wish."

"I wish that Jareth would visit me in my room for awhile… RIGHT NOW."

Curled up on her window seat, Sarah slept on Jareth's shoulder, until he carried her to her bed. Kissing her softly on her forehead, he vanished with only the smallest amount of glitter.

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_A/N: I know it's a short one, but chapter 5 is coming, is much longer, and finishes the story._  
_Please comment, give feedback, and help me find typos!_


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: If it's a character, scene, idea, setting, etc from the Labyrinth, it's (c) Henson, Lucas, Froud, etc, and NOT MINE. Any facts, impressions, traditions, etc, related to the publishing & entertainment industries are fictional or used fictionally.**

**Please stay tuned after the chapter for the real A/N.**

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_A/N: If you don't remember how Chapter 3 started, go back and reread the opening sentence before continuing_

Expectations aside, Sarah woke bright and early the next morning. Relishing the fact that she didn't have to rush around anywhere until afternoon, she stretched. As she weighed the luxuries of rolling over for more sleep, or a leisurely breakfast, she realized that she had woken with a smile on her face.

That thought was enough to send her into thorough wakefulness, which also triggered her inexhaustible supply of curiosity. Rising from her bed to brush her hair, she worked her way through the last events of the previous evening. Acknowledging the joy in that simple interlude of resting within Jareth's arms, she allowed a mild blush to run its course as she plotted out the rest of her day.

Breakfast with Toby and then a quick shower readied her for the day. She allowed herself a few minutes to roam through her favorite shops in town as she headed toward her appointments.

An industry luncheon, a mani/pedi treatment, and checking out apartments kept her busy until early evening. That night, she sat once again on her window seat, gazing distantly at the still unmoved stars. She was mildly disappointed at having received no new crystals that day, but smirked at herself for the thought. _It's not as though you don't have dozens of others available to you. Is it that you only like the attention, or are you ready to face some facts?_

Taking a slow breath, Sarah considered her day. Five of the firms at the luncheon had their heads of Personnel extend job offers to her during the luncheon; two were from publishing houses, for positions within the editing team; one was from a newspaper, for a spot on the book review board; and the other two were from movie studios, to participate in script development. While Sarah had developed a rare instinct for stories, she would never consider herself a writer; her now former classmates had long since realized that Sarah's feedback improved their compositions quite drastically, which skill had these firms panting after her.

The dinner invitation was from an acquaintance from high school, whom Sarah had barely seen since _that_ graduation four years prior. He had always nurtured a small crush on Sarah, who had always found him attractive and amusing, but yet they never quite connected. So their dinner date was enjoyable, not the least because Sarah felt at her most confident. This confidence made her even more attractive, but helped her to hold herself at enough of a distance that he understood that this wasn't the time for them.

Now, back in her soon-to-be former bedroom, Sarah understood why she hadn't dated seriously over the previous seven years. One part was that she knew how much she wanted to accomplish in a specific period of time, and boyfriends would have made that much more difficult. Another was the lack of any truly unique or original attempts to gain her attention or interest, a fact oft-lamented amongst her girlfriends. The finally-admitted part is what now bothered her: she had always been fascinated by the Goblin King. From the moment she first read out of that red book, she found him to be intriguing and exciting and somewhat incomprehensible. Once she met him, she added clever, deft, lithe, and exhilarating, and something about him awakened her mind to avenues of thought barely suspected, and her body to nerve endings previously unknown.

Knowing that she couldn't really know whether or not _that one sentence_ was true until she spoke to him again, face-to-face, Sarah pulled out the crystal that had arrived on her 18th birthday. Standing now, she held the crystal to her forehead, looked in, and spoke her right words, "I wish that Jareth would come to talk with me right now."

In that split second between the air shimmering and Jareth's appearance, Sarah was glad that she hadn't removed her make-up, changed out of her dress for dinner, or brushed out her hair for the night, although she didn't regret having taken off her shoes. Seeing Jareth's attire upon his arrival, she smiled to herself, and thought of regaining those shoes, but dismissed the idea as a waste of time.

"Should I wonder, Sarah-love, whether or not this frequency of communication is going to become typical?"

His wry smile, dry tone, and arrogance of manner would have nearly intimidated her before, but no longer.

"I could make a comment about the sheer number of crystals you've sent me over the years, and ask whether they represent a minimum number of times that you'd like to hear from me, or are just a starting point."

Appreciating her valid point, Jareth nodded.

"Please, Jareth, would you like to sit down?" Gesturing to the vanity stool, the window seat, and the chest at the foot of her bed as the only options, Sarah tried to play hostess to the Goblin King while her pulse picked up a bit, even as she noticed his extra swallowing.

"The window seat will suffice, I think," he answered as he took the barely two steps to cover the distance. "Won't you join me here?"

Having somehow not considered that they'd sit together there, Sarah's mind stuttered to a halt, albeit briefly. Sheer determination enabled her to traverse the few inches back to the window seat, and sink down next to him.

Taking a deep breath, she finally asked him the first question that had been held in abeyance for nearly seven years.

"Why have you sent me so very many crystals?" She had fidgeted briefly with her hands at the start of the question, but managed to look directly into his compelling eyes by the time she finished.

Knowing that she _would_ ask that question, Jareth gave the simple truth as he moved one gloved hand to cover one of her own, "I was reminding you that I would always welcome the chance to talk to you."

"And show me my dreams? And grant my wishes?" Her voice remained soft and clear, although she had to concentrate a little more to select the right words; she could feel his pulse through the softer-than-leather.

Jareth considered for a moment before cocking his head and claiming her other hand. "Tell me first, precious, whether it's mere curiosity behind these questions. After all," he continued, with that devil-may-care smirk, "your wish tonight was for me to come and talk with you, not answer questions."

Allowing her hands to nestle within his, fingers comfortably entwined, Sarah raised a single eyebrow at him. "I've come to realize that this is information that I need in order to make an informed decision about my future."

"Hmmmm… since I doubt that you plan to become a soothsayer, I'd say that you're trying to ask after my intentions without using that delightfully Victorian turn of phrase. Am I correct?"

Sarah nearly couldn't answer. Her mind tried to hiccup as Jareth lightly stroked her fingers and moved in ever so slightly. Feeling as though she had already received part of the answer that she truly sought, she found her spine. "Possibly. Given that I knew these crystals weren't inherently dangerous, and that you did make some mention about granting wishes the other night, I didn't think the questions were too much of a stretch. However, if that were all, you needn't have sent so very many of them."

Impressed and pleased with her verbal parry, the Goblin King allowed a hint of true smile to come through. "I'm pleased to see that your powers of reasonable deduction are working so well, and that your ability in asking the right questions has greatly improved." He raised one of her hands to his mouth, and let his lips caress it gently before continuing, pleased to hear that her breath was no longer quite even. "Tell me what it is that you really wish to discuss with me tonight."

It seemed as though her eyes had been locked in his since time began, and she certainly didn't want to have anything as uninteresting as a discussion with this more-than-a-man. Still, she had to know. "Jareth, why have you bothered with me all these years, staying involved on the fringes of my life, and determined to be present at my graduation?"

After a brief, low chuckle, the Goblin King inched forward to allow him to whisper in Sarah's ear, "It was never a bother, my dear. It was my greatest joy and pleasure these past seven years, though I hope to see them surpassed quite soon."

Pleased to see her blush, and surprised to feel his own pulse increase, he now had to swallow to keep from getting ahead of himself.

"Come now, Goblin King, you know your own rules. '_Say your right words._'" Sarah's eyes danced with humor, anticipation, and nerves, and revealed her gladness that he seemed nervous as well.

"Very well." Jareth stood suddenly, raising Sarah to her feet as well. "Dance with me, my lady. Dance with me until the stars move themselves in harmony with our joy. Dance with me until after the moon ceases to be able to reflect the light of our happiness. Dance with me until all of the hopes and dreams and fancies of all of the poets have been shown to be mere shadows of our love."

Sarah's smile launched a new constellation in the Underground, causing the various populations to speculate wildly, and without any comprehension. This confusion lasted until the Goblin King brought his bride home, two days later.

As for the accumulation of crystals, Jareth Dismissed them once he could spare enough attention to remember them.

~Fin~

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_A/N: Thanks to those who have given reviews (and helped me to find those tricky typos)! Yes, this is the end of this story. But if you give me lots of review / feedback, and help me find any sneaky typos, I'll be encouraged, and continue with my other on-going fics even sooner._

_Thanks to lylabeth 1, mearra, Stuffed Piggy, Newbie83, and Silvermastermind!_


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